Tunnel car wash operators need effective tools to guard against baseless claims brought by customers alleging that the car wash facilities damaged their vehicles. In addition to tunnel car wash operators, full service tunnel and garage owners often receive baseless complaints alleging that their facilities damaged a customer's vehicle.
In the case of tunnel car washes, customers often file claims because they will first notice damage to their vehicles, especially surface damage, after a wash. A scratch or a dent to the surface of a vehicle is much more noticeable on a clean vehicle oppose to one that is covered with dirt and debris. The car wash operator becomes an easy scapegoat, because the customers can honestly claim that they initially saw the damage after taking their vehicles to the car wash.
In addition, the environment of a tunnel car wash makes it hard for operators to defend their facilities. The environment of a tunnel car wash makes it difficult to view a vehicle as it proceeds through the wash. For example, the low lighting in tunnels makes it difficult to view a vehicle. Moreover, obstacles such as mist, excess spray, and large washing devises surrounding the vehicle make viewing the vehicle nearly impossible.
Furthermore, the lack of an eyewitness in a tunnel car wash, besides the driver of the vehicle, makes it difficult for operators to defend their facilities. It is unusual for an employee of a tunnel car wash to watch the vehicle during a mechanically driven wash. In the case of manual washes, eyewitnesses are washers and the driver. If a case concerning the cause of damage to a vehicle ever is litigated, the washers, who jurors will likely consider biased, will be the only eyewitnesses favorable to the defendant.
Beyond honest customers that use tunnel operators as a scapegoat, fraudulent customers often take advantage of tunnel operators' vulnerability to lawsuits. A dishonest customer that is aware of surface damage to his or her vehicle can easily bring fraudulent claims against an operator of a tunnel car wash or other service tunnel for the reasons explained above.
In summary, it is easy for a customer to blame a tunnel operator for damage to his or her vehicle. Without direct proof of when the damage occurred, a reasonable person could infer that the damage could have occurred inside the tunnel, especially a car wash tunnel. Reasonable beliefs are not always based on the facts of a case. In most cases the damage to a vehicle is either pre-existing or occurs after service to the vehicle.
For the reasons described above, tunnel operators and especially tunnel car wash operators have a need system for demonstrating that their facilities were not the cause of damage to a vehicle. Without such proof, it is more likely than not, a customer will get a settlement or verdict in his or her favor against the operator of a tunnel.
Tunnel operators—not only car wash operators—have tried for years to place cameras—video or still cameras—in their facilities to provide evidence that they were not responsible for damage to a vehicle. However, traditional methods of installing cameras are not effective enough to provide adequate evidence in several scenarios. For example, cameras in tunnels are often placed too high to have adequate side views of vehicles. In instances where cameras were lowered to provide side views, the cameras become more susceptible to vandalism. In addition, moving a camera to a lower location limited overhead views of vehicles passing through the tunnel.
Another issue that negatively affects the quality of the views is low levels of light often found in a tunnel. Operators could sufficiently light the tunnel using artificial lighting; however, such lighting has economical costs. If operators place cameras outside of the tunnel or close to the entrance or exit of the tunnel, natural light is more available for producing higher quality views and saving costs associated with artificial lighting. Nevertheless, when an operator places cameras outside a tunnel or near the opening of the tunnel, the cameras become susceptible to weather damage. In addition, when an operator places cameras outside his or her tunnel the cameras become susceptible to vandalism.
To limit damage to cameras, especially ones placed at low positions or outside a tunnel, tunnel operators can enclose cameras in weather and vandalism resistant housings. With the ability to place cameras at lower positions and outside a tunnel, tunnel operators can readily obtain front, back, side, and top views of a vehicle before and after the vehicle passes through the tunnel.
In addition to tunnel car wash operators benefiting, operators of other types of service and roadway tunnels could benefit from placing cameras in weather and vandalism resistant housings and strategically placing the cameras inside tunnels and on the exterior of tunnels.